1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a terminal for receiving digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), and more particularly to a method for displaying a channel guide in a mobile terminal with a function for receiving DMB.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) is a broadcasting service for providing various multimedia broadcasting content such as video, audio and data. Subscribers can view or listen to the broadcasting content through a personal portable receiver or a vehicle receiver equipped with an antenna. When watching the DMB through a mobile terminal, users can view various broadcasting channel guides displayed on a screen to select a desired broadcasting channel. Hereinafter, the term “channel information” indicates, for example, “Channel 11” or “MBC”, and the term “program” is a generic term including a specific program such as “9 O'clock News” or a commercial film (CF), etc. The term “channel guide” indicates a list of channel information and programs that a user can select on channels.
Mobile terminals with DMB reception receive code division multiplexing (CDM) channel information associated with the DMB service from a satellite. The received channel information includes electronic program guide (EPG) information. Because table information of the EPG is re-transmitted periodically, the user can receive the EPG information through the DMB service at any time. FIG. 1 illustrates the format of a conventional EPG.
Referring to FIG. 1, EPG information tables include a broadcaster information table (BIT) 101, a service description table (SDT) 103, an event information table (EIT) 105, and a time offset table (TOT) 107. The BIT 101 is used to transfer broadcaster information. That is, the BIT 101 is used to transfer a notification, a broadcaster name, and a current channel list. The BIT 101 uses a broadcast identification (ID) to identify different BITs.
The SDT 103 is used to transfer information of each channel. The channel information includes a channel name, channel uniform resource locator (URL) information, information indicating if a channel a pay-channel, the channel type, that is, a video or audio channel, and information indicating if a channel is recordable. The SDT 103 uses a service ID to identify different SDTs.
The EIT 105 indicates genre information of each program. Through the EIT 105, a program name, program URL information, a program start time, information of a period of time required for broadcasting a program, parental rating information and program genre information are transferred. The EIT 105 uses an event ID to identify different events from each other.
The TOT 107 includes current time information and is used to determine which program is being broadcast, or to display the current time. The user can identify various DMB channel information using the EPG information in real time. Because DMB channel information is displayed in a DMB channel guide in order of channel numbers, the user is inconvenienced to determine which channel a particular program is on.
The DMB includes programs of various genres that are broadcast according to a schedule. To watch a desired genre program, like drama, on channels that provide programs of various genres, the user must retrieve programs currently being broadcast on the channel one by one to find the drama shows.